Premier ‘very sorry’ as minister’s gaffe threatens to overshadow health debate

Premier Daniel Andrews has personally apologised after one of his senior ministers told patients of the state’s struggling health system they should roll with the punches.

In a saga that has threatened to overshadow Labor’s attempts to wrest control of the health debate, Andrews on Thursday said he was sorry that cancer patient Kylie Hennessy, 50, was forced to travel to Adelaide because she was unable to get a scan in Victoria.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.Credit:Chris Hopkins

He said Education Minister Natalie Hutchins had “chosen her words unwisely” when she said on Wednesday people should “roll with the punches” and had been attempting to describe own husband’s difficult and protracted battle with cancer.

“She’s apologised for that and I hope there’s no offence … I don’t think there was anything intended,” he said.

“I’ll apologise as well. All I can say is, again, personally, very sorry.”

The saga, which followed a tweeted apology on Wednesday from Hutchins and a long explanation from Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, came as Andrews announced a plan under which sick and injured Victorians will be treated and assessed by new, highly trained specialist paramedic practitioners to take pressure off the state’s over-burdened hospital system.

Andrews said the $20 million election pitch, which would train 25 specialists and begin operating by 2026, is an Australian first. He said it would relieve pressure on the hospital system, while allowing patients, particularly the elderly, to remain in their own homes or care facilities.

The scope of the new roles will be finalised after consultations with paramedics, doctors, health services and unions, although the system will be broadly modelled on one in Britain, where specialists attend complex maternity call-outs and can dispense more medications and use more advanced medical equipment than other paramedics.

He said studying to become a paramedic practitioner would be free via government provided scholarships.

The government faces growing pressure over the health system. Soaring inflation and the withdrawal of billions of dollars of emergency COVID funding could slash Victoria’s health budget by more than 13 per cent in real terms this financial year, as doctors warn of worse outcomes for patients at a time of continued record-breaking demand.

Andrews made the announcement in Wonthaggi, in the Gippsland electorate of Bass, a seat Labor is desperate to hold, having snatched it from the Liberal Party at the 2018 election with a margin of just 2.4 per cent. New electoral boundaries announced by the Victorian Electoral Commission has pushed the seat marginally back into Liberal territory.

Andrews also announced a re-elected Labor government would spend up to $290 million on a major redevelopment of the Wonthaggi Hospital to deliver extra beds, a new birthing complex and a new outpatient clinic.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, who is also campaigning on health, on Thursday announced the Coalition would invest $60 million to upgrade the Mansfield District Hospital if elected.

Australian College of Emergency Medicine Victorian chair Dr Belinda Hibble said she looked forward to learning more about the paramedic program and how it would alleviate pressure in emergency departments.

“On Sunday, the college outlined evidence-based solutions for the dangerous systemic issues in the Victorian health system that lead to ambulance ramping, overly long waits for care, adverse outcomes – including avoidable deaths – and decreased safety for patients, carers and staff,” Hibble said.

“These solutions include at least 1000 fully staffed ED[emergency department]-accessible hospital beds across Victoria, appropriately trained 24/7 security guards posted at every Victorian ED and an increase in non-clinical staff such as cleaners, patient support assistants and clerical workers.”

Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill said the use of paramedic practitioners would mean Victoria would have the best trained paramedics in Australia and possibly the world. He said their use would relieve strain on the system.

“The normal paramedic crew would have to transfer their patient into an emergency department, which is often busy, and they might be adding to the strain on the system, and it’s not the best thing for the patient … particularly an elderly patient who wants to stay in their own bed,” Hill said.

Michael Whelan, mayor of Bass Coast Shire, which takes in Wonthaggi, said he welcomed any additional service that would help alleviate the pressure on Bass Coast Health.

“I know for a fact that Bass Coast Health has the same pandemic pressures as the other hospitals,” he said. “It is a massive issue for them.”

Whelan said the health service was managing well under the strain, but the council supported any additional help that could be provided.

The population of Bass Coast, which also includes Phillip Island, has grown markedly since the pandemic, putting greater demands on services including health.

With Benjamin Preiss

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